Melodeo tunes in to NPR

Fans of National Public Radio will be able to listen to some of their favorite programs on their cell phones through a partnership beginning today with Seattle-based Melodeo.

Forty five podcasts from NPR — including “Science Friday,” “Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me” and “All Songs Considered” — have been made available through Melodeo’s Mobilcast technology. NPR also is receiving a branded channel on the Mobilcast application. Mobilcast currently works with 21 different handsets, including some models from Kyocera, Motorola, Nokia and Sony Ericsson. Terms of the deal with NPR were not disclosed.

“Mobilcast will make it easy for mobile phone listeners to find, use and update their favorite podcasts and expand the visibility and leadership of public radio in the on-demand arena,” said Maria Thomas of NPR Digital Media. About 18 million (not 18 as I had previously written) audio programs have been downloaded from NPR since it started a new podcasting service last August.

The deal is part of Melodeo’s transformation into a mobile provider of podcasts. When it started three years ago, Melodeo was focused on bringing full length music tracks to cell phones. While Melodeo still does that, it has been a tough nut for the company to crack.

Speaking of that market, Andover, Mass.-based Groove Mobile, which operates the Sprint Music Store, announced $8.5 million in venture funding last week.

Melodeo tunes in to NPR

Fans of National Public Radio will be able to listen to some of their favorite programs on their cell phones through a partnership beginning today with Seattle-based Melodeo.

Forty five podcasts from NPR — including “Science Friday,” “Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me” and “All Songs Considered” — have been made available through Melodeo’s Mobilcast technology. NPR also is receiving a branded channel on the Mobilcast application. Mobilcast currently works with 21 different handsets, including some models from Kyocera, Motorola, Nokia and Sony Ericsson. Terms of the deal with NPR were not disclosed.

“Mobilcast will make it easy for mobile phone listeners to find, use and update their favorite podcasts and expand the visibility and leadership of public radio in the on-demand arena,” said Maria Thomas of NPR Digital Media. About 18 million (not 18 as I had previously written) audio programs have been downloaded from NPR since it started a new podcasting service last August.

The deal is part of Melodeo’s transformation into a mobile provider of podcasts. When it started three years ago, Melodeo was focused on bringing full length music tracks to cell phones. While Melodeo still does that, it has been a tough nut for the company to crack.

Speaking of that market, Andover, Mass.-based Groove Mobile, which operates the Sprint Music Store, announced $8.5 million in venture funding last week.